The most common sedative used by dentists and oral surgeons to help patients relax during oral procedures like wisdom tooth extractions and root canals is laughing gas. Most dentists in Carrollwood use laughing gas to help patients have a pain-free and enjoyable dental appointment because most people suffer from anxiety before surgery.
What is Laughing Gas?
Nitrous oxide, sometimes known as laughing gas, is a medical sedative that is safe to use when combined with oxygen and inhaled through a little mask that fits over your nose. It is used to aid in relaxation. For certain treatments, your dentist could offer to use laughing gas to help you feel more at ease. You can hear and reply to any requests or instructions the dentist may have for you because it doesn’t put you to sleep. Laughing gas near you could be a terrific way to relax if you experience excessive fear or anxiety when it comes to visiting the dentist.
Laughing gas has three effects as part of its mechanism of action.
- It eliminates your dread and lowers your anxiety.
- The technique won’t hurt since it eliminates pain.
- You experience exhilaration, which makes you feel fantastic.
You will be instructed to breathe properly through your nose while receiving laughing gas from your dentist. The effects will start to take effect in a short while. You can have dizziness or a tingling sensation in your arms and legs. Some people move in the opposite direction, feeling heavy in the arms and legs. The effects quickly disappear once the mask is taken off, so a constant stream is required to keep them going.
Your dentist may also provide other forms of sedation if you are anxious about receiving laughing gas, such as oral medicines or an IV sedative. Find out what works best for you by speaking with your dentist.
How Does Laughing Gas Work?
Dentists mix nitrous oxide with oxygen so that patients can take advantage of its sedative impacts without sacrificing oxygen. Your dentist near you will administer the anesthetic using a small mask that is worn over your nose during surgery. It’s not all fun and games with laughing gas. The gas, which you inhale, replaces the air in your lungs and keeps your blood and brain from getting enough oxygen. Once you stop breathing in nitrous oxide, the effects last for around two minutes before wearing off.
While allowing you to relax and speak with your dentist or oral surgeon, this gas can also lessen your perception of pain and discomfort. It’s interesting to note that laughing gas works on your brain’s neurotransmitters and receptors in a manner similar to that of benzodiazepines and opioids.
How Does Laughing Gas Make You Laugh?
Because of the way that nitrous oxide interacts with brain chemicals like dopamine to allow patients to feel at ease and euphoric, it has acquired the nickname “the happy gas.” After a dentist delivers this sedative, the majority of patients do laugh, though some may feel queasy or lightheaded. Mild hallucinations, disorientation, and tingling in the limbs are some other adverse effects.
However, some people may also experience shaking, sweating, exhaustion, headaches, and nausea. Ask your dentist or oral surgeon for a different sedative if you are uncomfortable with these possible side effects of laughing gas in Carrollwood.
Schedule Your Appointment Today
Make a dental appointment. Ask them any questions you may have regarding nitrous oxide. Our dentists at Playa Family Dentistry would be delighted to go over how it functions and why it would be a good fit for your upcoming dental operation.
Contact us to make an appointment with our dentist right away!